The Padres erected a statue of Tony Gwynn last summer yet continue to trot out an offense that bears almost no resemblance to Mr. Padre.

No one would expect a bunch of Padres to be nearly as good as Gwynn was, but it's nearly inconceivable that a collection of major-league hitters could be as anti-Gwynn across the offensive spectrum as this group is.

Striking out 13 times one night after they piled up 17 strikeouts, the Padres lost 7-2 to the Reds Saturday night. For good measure, Padres pitchers issued 11 walks, the club's most since 2003.

The hitting performance was so poor that manager Bud Black, who almost never emotes near reporters, seethed as he stood behind a lectern. "We've got to make better contact," Black said tersely. "We've got to put the bat on the ball. We've got to do better at that."

Padres hitting coach Wally Joyner, one of Gwynn's former comPadres, watched his pupils strike out nine times in 6 1/3 innings against Arroyo, a finesse right-hander who brought in an ERA of 6.02.

Joyner then saw Reds relievers notch four more strikeouts, raising the two-game total to 30. In 16 contests, the Padres (18-33) have struck out at least 10 times. They are the whiffingest team in the majors, on a pace to set a franchise record for strikeouts.

"My hope is that the players aren't thinking this is their talent. They're better than this. They're trying to be too fine, and they're digging a hole that you don't want to get in."

Padres CEO Sandy Alderson has said strikeouts are of little concern if they are accompanied by good slugging and frequent scoring.

There's the rub. For all of their flailing and hacking, the Padres are last in scoring and near the bottom in the National League in home runs and slugging percentage (Gwynn slugged about 100 points above this team's slug rate).

"I don't know what to tell you," left fielder Paul McAnulty said.

The only Padres starter who didn't strike out Saturday night, McAnulty slugged a two-run triple in the fourth. But the Padres again bumped into the two-run ceiling, finishing with fewer than three runs for the 23rd time.

The Reds had built a 5-0 lead against Wilfredo Ledezma, yet another pitcher the Padres picked up from the salvage yard because not one of their advanced prospects is ready. Ledezma, filling in for the injured Jake Peavy, gave up a three-run home run to rookie Joey Votto in the second and a leadoff double to Ken Griffey Jr. that sparked a two-run surge in the third.

The crowd's excitement rose after the game when the Padres aired an interview from Gwynn on the big scoreboard. Gwynn, who struck out once every 21.4 at-bats in his career, recounted

a game-winning home run by Steve Finley during the 1998 season, a journey that would reach the World Series.

"The excitement in that clubhouse was something that I hadn't seen," Gwynn recalled. "And you just kind of sensed that there was going to be something special about that club."

The Padres followed with a postgame fireworks show, a contrast to the many duds from their offense. This hitting unit, the major culprit for the team's 105-loss pace, is batting .237, which is 101 points off Gwynn's career pace. With runners in scoring position, the Padres are batting .238, 14th in the NL and, of course, not in the same galaxy as Gwynn's otherworldy career mark of .349.

In further sharp contrast to Gwynn, at least the Gwynn of the 1980s and early 1990s, this team is slow and unathletic on the basepaths. The Padres are finding out that it's easier to bronze greatness than reproduce it.